Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-14
CIvlLIzlNG THE RED MEN.
The Wonderful Work of Mr.. William
Duncan.

Wv iLlZiND At Il EsGAb hhANs
The Wonderful Work of MIR. William
Duncan.
WASHINGTON. March 12.-There is q
man now In this city who can show more
solid results in the actual civilization of
Indians, in the last thirty years, than any
dozen missionaries or teachers who have
lsbored among the red men. His work
was undertaken in the most unpromising
field on this continent, among savsges
more degraded than those of our Western
plains, already demoralIzed with fire
water and the Vices incident to contact
with the class OF white men to be found
at remote frontier posts. Tney were dog
eaters and human flesh biters, knowing
nothing OF Christianity. MIR. William
Duncan, for that is the mans name, when
be first went among them did not know
word OF thor language, and there was no
| one TO teach him, for the white man then
communicated with the Indians by means
of crude jargon, mixture of English,
French and Indian, Mt only for the pur-
| poses Of trade.
Mr.. Duncan has also had to overcome
| all the obstacles against civilization that
| others have encountered elsewhere. The
| powerful chiefs OF the tribes, rho were
also the medicine men, and whose con.
| troll over the savages was absolute while
they remained heathens, were his most
bitter enemies; the white people. when
they found that the Indians were leav-
ing the vicinity OF the post to live In Mr..
Duncan's village and settling down to
work instead Of hunting, saw their profit
from trade disappearing, and offered the
Indians all sorts Of inducements not to
| join his colony. And hnally, after the
at nnf oil -
| gold mining fever broke out in its vicinity,
| attracting to its immediate ghborhood
| class Of men whose presence has al
ways been fatal to the morality or ad-
vancement of Indians.
Mr.. Duncan's work has been done on
! the north west coast of North America,
at point about 500 miles north of VIC
| toria, In British Columbia, and the net
| result of it lie the village of Meta Kathla,
a settlement of about 1920 Indian men,
| women and children, who live in frame
| houses supplied with the comforts and
| conveniences which white people con-
slider necessary, whose rooms are dec
GRATED with photographs and chromos,
who wear the clothing of Europeans, have
regular occupations like the people of q
| New England village, go to church and
send their children to school, and govern
| Themselves by an elective council. They
have established acannery, and pack and
| ship to the London market 5000 cases of
| the finest salmon every year. They have
| a saw mill and manufacture lumDer,
| They have shops of various kinds for
carrying on the trades. They have a
| steam launch, telephone, church
which cost $l2, 900 and will seat 600 per-
| sons, built by the Indians entirely of ma
| tive material, except the glass in the win
| dows, and all paid Tor, IA uniformed fire
| company armed with patent fire extin-
| gIishers and brass band oftwenty pieces.
| There are no liquor saloons, no gambling
| houses and no dens OF intamy, and no
| murder has been committed at Metla-
| Kathla since the colony was planted,
nearly twenty-five years ago. The viii
lage has been self-supporting from tle
| first. The Indians have never had any
! annuities or other government aid. The
| influence OF this colony mas spread for
| $50 miles each side OF it up and down the
coast. Dog eating and human flesh Bit
| ing are no Eore practiced; the power of
| the medicine men has in a great measure
| been broken; totem poles have nearly
| disappeared; lite and property are secure,
and large proportion of the Indians are
| Christians.
The man who has accomplished all this
is not a Christian minister and does not
now belong TO any religious denomina-
ton, although he first went to the north
Church Missionary Society of London.
He has taught the Indians what he has
| understood to be the simple truths oil the
Bible, troubling them with the creed of no
sect and the formalities OF no ecclesias-
ticism. He was a mercantile clerk in
England before he went to British
Columbia, and has accomplished what
he has by living.among the Indians, work.
ing with them with his own hands, teach
Ing them the arts of civilization, and
| preaching to them the pure religion of
! Christianity. Lord Duferin visited
Meta. X atha and wrote most enthusiast
tically about it; Bancroft, the historian
OF the Pacific coast, speaks of 1t and OF
| Dir. Duncan repeatedly and in the most
| complimentary terms in several OF his
volumes, and every one VINO visits it is
surprised and delighted.
And yet, between greed and bigotrv,
| Mr.. Duncan and Metla-Kathla are in
trouble. The land upon which the village
! Is built belongs TO the government OF
! British COlum bia; the Indians have never
been able to obtain a title to it, and
neither the colonial nor the Dominion
! government will do anything 10 insure
| them permanent possession of the laud
| upon which they have put so many inn
| provements. 1 suspect that IL is o bad
| case of red tape, but the recent sale OF q
tract OF land adjoining the village TO
! persons having no interests IN COM
mon with the Indians has alarmed
them.
Then the Church Mission airy Society, OF
London, being dissatisfied because Mr..
Duncan has discarded the ritual OF the
Church OF England, has sent out High
Church Bishop 70 bring the Indians into
the ioid. But they are satisfied with the
simple religion they have been taught by
Mr.. Duncan, and which they have found
ia the B bic, aud, as they cannot get rid
OF the Bishop, who only trou bies them,
they have hually concluded that they
must move across the line into Alaska,
where they are assured they will have
undlsturbed possession OF the land they
may occupy, and where they will be be
yond tue jurisdiction OF the Church OF
England.
Mir. Duncan came East to arrange with
the governm- MT Tor the removal. He asks
for no assistance; he never has done that,
even refusing 10 have collections
taken when he has visited England
ana spoken there of his work.
n. l.. WHITE.